Loose leaf binders



July 14, 1959 BQNN 2,894,400

LOOSE LEAF BINDERS Filed May 24, 1955 Mir/mm Jan/1 United States Patent LOOSE LEAF BINDERS Mathias Bonn, Bonn, Germany, assignor to F. Soennecken, Bonn, Germany, a firm Application May 24, 1955, Serial No. 510,777

Claims priority, application Germany May 29, 1954 11 Claims. (CI. 7496) This invention relates to a loose leaf hinder, or file, for papers and the like, consisting of a base plate with rigid filing pins and pivotally mounted arched closing members connected by a crank-type olfset pivoting memher under tension from a leaf spring, and of an opening and closing device actuated by pressure applied in the direction of the base plate on the offset section of the pivoting member.

The invention consists essentially in the provision of an opening and shutting device in the form of a singlearm lever with a ratchet and pawl system, which has a cam disk with equidistant cams that impart movement to the offset portion of the pivoting member in such manner that with a predetermined lever movement the cam disk is advanced one-half of the cam interval, permitting the ofiset portion of the pivoting member to move through a distance equal to the vertical deviation of the lowermost cam when advanced.

By this construction it is achieved that on successive depressions of one and the same lever the oifset section of the pivoting member will alternately be depressed by one of the cams when the lever is pressed down the first time, thus closing the device against the tension of the opening spring, and then released when the key is depressed a second time, thus opening the device under the upward urging of the opening spring, and so on. No lifting of the lever is necessary because for both opening and closing the device the lever needs merely to be depressed. Furthermore, it is not necessary before each operation to consider which of two keys, or which of two levers, must be used in any given case in order to cause the opening or closing of the device. The one single lever required in accordance with the invention has plenty of space even between the stacks of papers or the like when the loose leaf binder is open. Damage to documents or injuries to the hands of the operator are thereby eliminated.

The construction of such loose leaf binder may conveniently be carried out in a variety of Ways. In accordance with a particularly simple and advantageous form of construction the lever with ratchet and pawl and the cam disk are mounted, parallel to the pivoting axis of the arched closing members and with their side faces approximately perpendicular to the base plate, on a support which for this purpose has a .pin in the transverse central plane perpendicular to the base plate for the revolving seating of the cam disk, and off-center from said pin a pivot pin which serves as fulcrum for the lever. The cam disk may be conveniently constructed as a ratchet wheel, whereby its circumference is furnished with double as many ratchet teeth as there are cams, said cams being located on the cam disk face towards the olfset section of the pivoting member.

In accordance with a particularly expedient form of the invention the offset section of the pivoting member is provided with a notch-like shoulder, symmetrically positioned in relation to the transverse central plane perpendicular to the base plate, said shoulder being so formed that in order to close the arched members the following cam, by depressing the olfset section, engages the shoulder, while to open the arched members the shoulder is introduced between the following and preceding cams, both of which act as stops for the offset section when the arched members are open.

One possible form of the -invention is illustrated in the drawing.

- Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and a front elevation of a loose leaf binder mechanism in accordance with the invention in the closed position, th arched members in Fig. 1 being broken off,

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a side elevation and a front elevation of the same mechanism in the open position,

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the ratchet wheel, by itself, with a modified form of pawl, and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the end of the pressure lever.

In the customary manner, the loose leaf binder consists of a base plate 1 on which are positioned two normally spaced filing pins 2 as well as two arched members 4 spaced at the same distance as the filing pins 2 and pivotally mounted in the clips 3 of the base plate. The arched members 4 are connected with each other by a common pivoting member 5. Between the clips 3, this pivoting member 5 has an inwardly offset, U-shaped pressure how 6, which is preferably furnished in the middle with an upward-projecting shoulder 7. The shoulder 7 has a notch-shaped depression 8 in the center. Pressing against the underside of the pressure how 6 is a leaf spring, the form illustrated having three sections. The two outer spring tongues 9 serve to press up the pressure bow 6, while the middle tongue 10 is extended to fulfil a purpose to be explained hereinafter.

Positioned on the base plate 1 at about the middle of the loose leaf binder mechanism is an upright support 11, preferably consisting of a strip of metal stamped out of the base plate 1 and bent upwards. On the support 11 a ratchet wheel 13 is seated so that it will rotate round a pin 12. Around its circumference this ratchet wheel has, for example, six teeth 14. On the face of the ratchet wheel 13 adjacent to the pressure how 6, three cam pins 15 are positioned concentrically and equidistantly around the ratchet wheel axis 12. Preferably rotating rollers 16 are seated on the cam pins 15. It should be stated that, if necessary, more or less cam pins and corresponding numbers of ratchet wheel teeth may be provided, whereby the number of teeth should always be double or a multiple of the number of cam pins. As revealed by the drawing, the rollers 16 of the cam pins 15 move in one plane over the shoulder 7 of the pressure how 6. The rollers 16, which work in conjunction with the pressure how 6, are mounted on the cam pins 15 with a little axial play so that they can follow the pivoting movement of the pressure bow 6.

Finally, on the support 11 an actuating lever or pressure lever 18 is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 17 eecentrically located in relation to the ratchet wheel axis 12, the free end of which lever protrudes from the loose leaf binder mechanism to the front or to the rear and which bears a key button 19. On the lever 18, pivotingon an axis 20 is a pawl 21, the tooth 22 of which engages the teeth 14 of the ratchet wheel 13. A spring 23 mounted on the lever 18 exerts downward pressure on the Y pawl 21, pressing the latter elastically on to the teeth of The form of the articulated end of the lever 18 is illustrated in Fig. 6. Generally speaking, any type of spring may be provided to return the lever 18 to its raised, rest position. However, the middle tongue of the leaf spripg 9, 10 may be .used for this purpose with advantage, such manner that the extended end lies againstalower, protruding lobe 25 .of thelever 18 (Fig. 6). V i A special .pawl spring 23 may be dispensed with if the pawl is so positioned and formed that its own weight causes it to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 13. In this case it is preferable to furnish the pawl 21 with an opposed lever arm 26 as shown in Fig. 5. If required, the lever .arm 26 can be provided with a safety tooth 27 at this P int- The manner in which the ahove=described loose leaf binder mechanism operates is a follows: In the closed position, the parts of the mechanism and ratchet andpawl system are in the positions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. In position the lower cam with its roller 16 presses down on the pressure how 6 so that the arched member 4 are held in the closed position against the tension of the leaf spring tongues 9. By depressing the key 19 the ratchet wheel 13 is advanced one tooth 14 by the pawl 21. By this means the lower cam roller 16 is lifted out of the depression 8 of the shoulder 7 on the pressure bow 6 and turns ,to the left into the position illustrated in Fig. 3., At the same time, the following cam pin 15 with its roller 16 moves into a position on the same plane as the aforementioned cam pin. Since the pressure how 6 has been released, the leaf spring tongues 9 can now lift the pressure bow, whereby the arched closing members 4 more to their open position, which is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing.

In the open position of the mechanism, however, the arched members 4 can not open completely outwards because the two lower cam pins 15 on both sides of the shoulder 7 are still resting on the pressure bow 6 and in this way act as upper limiting stops.

In order now to return the mechanism to its closed position, the key 19 of the lever 18 is again simply depressed, whereby the ratchet wheel 13 is advanced one further tooth. The cam pin 15 which in Fig. 3 of the drawing lies to the right of the shoulder of the pressure bow then is moved into the depression 8 of the shoulder 7, whereby the pressure bow 6 is pressed down into the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The arched members 4 are thereby moved to the closed position, simultaneously compressing the leaf spring tongues 9. The middle leaf spring tongue 10 finally raises the lever 18 into its raised, rest position as soon as the key is released.

It must be understood that the invention is not restricted to the form described above and illustrated in the drawing, but extends to all variants within the scope of the essential idea of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An opening and closing device for a loose/leaf hinder or file for papers and the like in which the binder includes a 'base plate and a crank-type offset member pivotally mounted on the base plate, comprising a single-armed lever, a pawl having a tooth and ratchet wheel connected to be operated by the lever, a plurality of equidistant cams mounted on the ratchet wheel to act on the offset section of the member so that with a predetermined lever movement the ratchet wheel is advanced one half of a cam interval, and a spring mounted on the base plate and hearing against the offset section of the member the ratchet wheel being mounted in a plane at right angles to the base plate and the offset section of the member being moved through a distance equal to the stroke of the corresponding cam nearest the base plate when advanced.

2. An opening and closing device according to claim '1, wherein the lever with ratchet system and the cams are mounted parallel to the pivoting axis of the binder and with their side faces approximately perpendicular to the base plate, and in which a support is provided which has a pin parallel to the base plate for the revolving seating of the ratchet.

3. An opening and closingdevice according to claim 1, in which the ratchet wheel is provided with double as many teeth as there are cams, and said cams being provided on the ratchet face towards the offset section of the p tin m m er 4. opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which the cams are constituted by pins having rollers mounted thereon.

5. An opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which the lever is pivoted on a support eccentrically arranged in relation to the ratchet and is provided with a slot by which the pivotal movement of the lever can be limited.

6. An opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which the offset section of the pivoting member is provided with an upwardly-projecting shoulder having a notch-shaped depression in its center.

'7. An opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which said leaf spring is also provided with a spring tongue exerting pressure .on the lever opposite to the pressure of the cam thrust.

8. An opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which the pawl is mounted on the lever and engages teeth on the ratchet, said pawl being curved in the segment of a circle and is so pivoted that the pawl rests on the teeth of the ratchet and exerts a pulling force on the teeth when the lever is depressed. 9. An opening and closing device according to claim 1, m which the pawl is provided with a lever arm extending beyond the pivotal point on the lever, and on which lever arm there is provided a second tooth opposite to the tooth of the pawl.

10. An opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which the cams are in the form of three rollers mounted on the ratchet wheel and the offset member is provided with a shoulder with a depression therein so that when any two rollers are in contact with the shoulder of the offset member the binder will be closed and when the ratchet is rotated so that one roller is in contact in .the depression of the shoulder the binder will be open.

11. opening and closing device according to claim 1, in which the cams are in the form of three rollers mounted on the ratchet wheel and the offset member is provided with a shoulder with a depression therein so that when any two rollers are in contact with the shoulder of the offset member the binder will be closed and when the ratchet is rotated so that one roller is in contact in the depression of the shoulder the binder will be open, and in which the ratchet wheel has six teeth thereon with the lever rotating the ratchet wheel one sixth of a revolution with each downward movement .of the lever.

References .Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,519,157 Muller Dec. 16, 1924 2,355,047 Bennett Aug. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 146,173 Germany Dec. 15, 1903 175,294 Germany Sept. 21, 1906 1,095,922 France Dec. 29, 1954 

